Chelsea defender Thiago Silva made history on Thursday night by becoming the first player in Brazil's history to captain the side at three different World Cups. Still playing at the highest level at 38 years old, Silva will be hopeful that he can help lead the side towards another title.
The Selecao are one of the favourites for the tournament, bringing some exciting talent in the forward line with the likes of Neymar Jr, Vinicius Jr and Raphinha just three of nine forwards called up. Despite that wealth of talent to call upon, it could be the backline that are required for these types of knockout matches.
That means some reliance on Silva and company, who claimed before the opener against Serbia that he is enjoying the best version of himself: "I'm enjoying the best version of Thiago Silva. At 38, I'm going through one of the best phases of my career.
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"Today I'm certainly a much better person prepared for this moment, super calm and super comfortable here, with everyone's trust. I’ve always been prepared for all situations and I thank the coach for naming me captain, it’s a special moment."
While plenty of players put behind their club ties when on the international stage, that isn't the case for Silva, who has taken his Chelsea allegiance with him to the World Cup. This was seen in an Instagram post, where the centre-back showed off his shin pads before the game.
The design had both the Blues and Brazil on it as well as references to both of his children and his wife, clearly showing his emotional attachment to representing everything on the world stage.
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